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- Longer batch of errands than expected -- uh oh. But work begins NOW! 7 hours ago
- Please help support the National Buy a Book Day Foundation with a donation in any amount! tinyurl.com/awukkys #buyabookday 23 hours ago
- Ah, the things you run across while fact checking for a copy edit: tinyurl.com/3fpn4at 23 hours ago
Fantasy Author’s Datebook
Arron of the Black Forest
- Dragon's Cliff Dungeon Tips: Joe Kushner on using The Haunting of Dragon’s Cliff in your D&D game.
- Arron Review: A great review of The Haunting of Dragon’s Cliff.
- Arron of the Black Forest Blog: Keep up on the series and learn more about the world of Arron of the Black Forest.
- Post Modern Pulps on Arron: A thoughtful review of The Haunting of Dragon’s Cliff.
Blogroll
- WordPress.com
- KINDLE SUBSCRIPTION: Subscribe to Fantasy Author’s Handbook for your Kindle!
- Annual Report 2012: Fantasy Author’s Handbook.
Buy My Books
- BARNES & NOBLE: Online and in-store!
- AMAZON: Look at all those books on an Amazon page. I’ve been busy!
- POWELL'S: Powell’s Books is a Portland, OR landmark. Support the independents!
- The Guide to Writing Fantasy & SF from Adams Media: Buy directly from the source!
- SONY READER Buy my books in e-book form from the Sony Reader Library.
- Diesel eBook Store E-books in EPub, Palm, and Mobi formats.
- Australians, Buy Here! Order from Boomerang Books in Australia.
- Google eBookstore Buy ebooks for various readers.
- WHSmith: For our friends in the United Kingdom.
- BooksOnBoard: Another fine ebook retailer.
- Stories in the Ether #3: Featuring my story “I Made a Friend.”
- Amazon Author Page: More about lil ol me!
Communicate With Me
- FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: Admit it, you need to keep up with me at least a couple times a day.
- LINKEDIN: Here’s my public profile on LinkedIn.
- Athans & Associates Creative consulting services from an IP development pro.
- Facebook: Eventually, it happens to us all.
- GOOD.is What’s so GOOD about me?
Gamasutra
- The Case for In-house Publishing My featured post at Gamasutra, which includes a TSR history lesson.
- There Has Been a Reckoning On the subject of a friend’s new game.
- Is IGDA Membership Worth It? Turns out, not really.
- A Little Respect: Writers deserve respect. There, I said it.
- The Gaming Revolution Will Be…Read? My case for more video game tie-in novels.
Grasping for the Wind
- SEPTEMBER 7: NATIONAL BUY A BOOK DAY Go to Grasping for the Wind, read my column, then buy a book on September 7!
- Content is King: My Grasping for the Wind swan song. Be a CONTENT PROVIDER!
- ROBOT IS THE NEW VAMPIRE Read my first column on Grasping for the Wind!
- THE WORLDS THAT OUTGREW THEIR STORIES September Column: Two Roads to Intellectual Property Success
- THROW YOUR BOOK A PARTY Advice for Authors on Signings and In-store Events
- Five Things Every Aspiring Author Should Know Don’t say I never warned you!
- Is Science Fiction Bad for Us? My December 2010 column on the desensitizing effect of SF.
- Convention Etiquette for Professionals and Panelists Tips for conventioneers with help from Jack Emmert, Richard Garfield, James Minz, Matthew Stover, and Kristine Katheryn Rusch
- Pile on the Huge: In which I discuss scale in SF books and movies.
- The Knee-jerk Reductionism of our Ill-considered Bloggers I jump in on the debate: Is fantasy morally bankrupt?
- Why I Read Five Books at Once The method to my (reading) madness.
- Been There, Survived That: Notes from the “bookpocalypse” as seen from the “recordmaggedon.”
- SFFWRCHT: The transcript of a wild-and-wooly Twitter chat session.
Interviews and Other Stuff
- I'VE BEEN WIKIPEDIAD: Don’t believe everything they say about me!
- CLARKESWORLD INTERVIEW 2: Read the rest of the editors roundtable in Clarkesworld.
- CLARKESWORLD INTERVIEW 1: I took part in a roundtable interview with other speculative fiction editors.
- WIZARDS.COM INTERVIEW: Philip Athans, interviewed on wizards.com.
- MAKE-BELIEVE MONDAYS INTERVIEW: Debra Parmley’s Make-Believe Mondays is a must-read blog for SF/Fantasy fans, and she’s interviewed lil’ ol’ me!
- Pat's Fantasy Hotlist Review of The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction!
- Celebrity Game Table: A detailed look at my Tegel Manor Campaign from 2003.
- Publisher's Weekly “Is the Universe Expanding or Contracting?”
- FANTASY BOOK CRITIC reviews The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction
- Qwiki: This kinda freaked me out, though it’s a little out of date.
- Guys Can Read: Wondercon 2011 podcast interview.
- ISFDB: My entry in the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Nevermet Press Interview, Part 1: Jonathan Jacobs and I discuss SF/Fantasy, and publishing in 2011.
- Nevermet Press Interview, Part 2: More inside information surrounding “I Made a Friend.”
- Bolthole Interview: I talk Warhammer, writing, and more with a great Games Workshop fan site.
- I Made A Friend: A new short story by me, published by Nevermet Press!
- Write Tip: Things Pros (including me!) Wish New Authors Knew About Publishing And Don’t
- Age of Legends Review: Positive words for “The City is Theirs.”
- 10 Questions with…ME! I get grilled by Ryan Schneider.
- Omnivoracious Interview: I talk with Susan Morris on the subject of worldbuilding.
- Chicks with Crossbows on Villains: A nice report on our ECCC panel, even if she spelled my name wrong!
- SF Signal Mind Meld: Aliens I join other SF/F authors and editors on the subject of what makes a good alien.
- Five Things Every Horror Author Needs to Know: A Writer’s Digest Tutorial
- The Shelf-Life of Sci-Fi Storytelling A love letter to the pulps.
- SF Signal on The Fathomless Abyss: I’m interviewed by Charles Tan.
National Buy a Book Day
- SEPTEMBER 7: NATIONAL BUY A BOOK DAY Go to Grasping for the Wind, read my column, then buy a book on September 7!
- Grasping for the Wind on NBBD: National Buy a Book Day Foundation board member John Ottinger speaks out!
- The National Buy a Book Day Foundation September 7th is fast approaching!
NEW!
- SpoCon I’m planning on being in Spokane, WA in August for SpoCon…details to follow.
- PNWA Conference I’ve been invited to speak at the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Conference in Seattle in July.
Resources
- SF SIGNAL: A great source of news, opinions, and links for all things SF.
- New York Times Books: Reviews, news, and so on from the Old School.
- GAMASUTRA: News and opinions from the video game universe.
- LOCUS Online: SF’s magazine of record.
- McSWEENEY'S INTERNET TENDENCY: Because it’s frickin’ awesome.
The Fathomless Abyss
- SF Signal Interview with Cat Rambo: “I have to firmly put my more logical side on the shelf when working in the Abyss. Which is weirdly freeing…”
- SF Signal Interview with Mel Odom: “I had a chance to help develop the world.”
- SF Signal Interview with J.M. McDermott: “The thing that excited me was an opportunity to work with, and invent, some creatures.”
- SF Signal Interview with Brad R. Torgersen “It sounded like a lot of fun to me…”
- SF Signal Interview with Jay Lake: “…the world is charmingly cock-eyed, while still possessed of vast possibility.”
- Mel Odom Arron of the Black Forest & The Fathomless Abyss!
- Jay Lake That Which Rises Ever Upward
- J.M. McDermott It’s Mine
- Mike Resnick The Ascent (with Brad R. Torgersen)
- Brad R. Torgersen The Ascent (with Mike Resnick)
- Cat Rambo A Querulous Flute of Bone
- Book 4: A Seed on the Wind The Kindle edition of the new novella by Cat Rambo.
- Book 1: Tales From The Fathomless Abyss The Kindle edition of the anthology that started it all!
- Book 1: Tales From The Fathomless Abyss The Nook edition of the opening anthology.
- Abyss Review: A short review of Tales From The Fathomless Abyss by James Reasoner.
- Writers of the Future: WotF reports on Tales From The Fathomless Abyss.
- SF Signal Interview with Mats Minnhagen: “In fantasy, because the setting is distorted, the timeless themes stand out with greater clarity.”
- Book 3: Nirvana Gates The Nook edition of the novella by J.M. McDermott
- Book 2: Devils of the Endless Deep The Kindle edition of the first follow-up to Tales From The Fathomless Abyss!
- Black Gate on The Fathomless Abyss Spreading the word!
- Book 4: A Seed on the Wind The Nook edition of the novella by Cat Rambo.
- Book 3: Nirvana Gates The Kindle edition of the Fathomless Abyss novella by J.M. McDermott
- SF Signal Interview with Mike Resnick “The possibilities within the framework are endless, and it’s a type of fiction I haven’t written in decades.”
- Fantasy Hotlist on Nirvana Gates: And the Fathomless Abyss in general.
Fantasy Author’s Feeds
Past Posts
Category Archives: SF and Fantasy Authors
PLAUSIBLE TECHNOBABBLE
Remember what I’ve said about plausibility vs. realism? That if you actually know how to make a starship go faster than the speed of light you need to stop goofing around writing science fiction and go be the Bill Gates … Continue reading
Posted in Books, creative team, E-Books, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, RPG, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, Science Fiction Story, SF and Fantasy Authors, transmedia, Traveller
Tagged author, authors, Books, creative process, Fiction, genre fiction, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, Science Fiction, Star Trek, worldbuilding, Writing, writing advice, writing process
4 Comments
FOUND: SIXTEEN-AND-A-HALF DEADLINES, SLIGHTLY USED
Ah, what a change two and a half years can bring! On October 5, 2010, here at Fantasy Author’s Handbook, I posted a, unabashed plea for deadlines: WANTED: ONE DEADLINE, ANY CONDITION in which, among other things, I bemoaned my … Continue reading
Posted in Books, creative team, horror novels, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, RPG, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, SF and Fantasy Authors, transmedia, Traveller, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, Books, creative process, editor, Fantasy, Fiction, genre fiction, Mel Odom, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, Science Fiction, Wizards of the Coast, Writing, writing advice, writing process
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TOOLS OF THE TRADE: TRAVELLER5
Some time ago, I recommended the long out of print MegaTraveller role-playing game supplement World Builder’s Handbook as a helpful tool for creating believable planets and star systems. Since then, I have begun work on a new series of tie-in … Continue reading
Posted in Books, creative team, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, RPG, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, Science Fiction Story, SF and Fantasy Authors, transmedia, Traveller, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, Books, creative process, Dungeons & Dragons, editor, Erik Scott de Bie, Fantasy, Fiction, genre fiction, Marc Miller, MegaTraveller, Mel Odom, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, Robert E. Vardeman, Science Fiction, sophont, Traveller, Traveller novels, Traveller RPG, worldbuilding, Writing, writing advice, writing exercises, writing process
4 Comments
WHAT YOU NEED AND WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE
One of the first things we talk about in my Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction classes are two short lists: What You Need and What You Should Have These lists are meant for students who show up to a classroom … Continue reading
Posted in Books, creative team, Dungeons & Dragons, E-Books, horror movies, horror novels, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, Romance Novels, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, SF and Fantasy Authors, transmedia, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, Books, creative process, Dungeons & Dragons, e-books, editor, Fantasy, Fiction, genre fiction, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, Science Fiction, Wizards of the Coast, worldbuilding, Writing, writing advice, writing exercises, writing process
4 Comments
MY BICENTENNIAL (AFTER A FASHION)
For all you wordsmiths out there, I know that “bicentennial” means “200th year,” but I’m going to use that word, however incorrectly, to point out that this is my 200th post here at Fantasy Author’s Handbook. As I did with … Continue reading
Posted in Anime, Books, conventions, creative team, Dungeons & Dragons, E-Books, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, SF and Fantasy Authors, transmedia, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, Author Interview, authors, best fantasy novels, Books, creative process, editor, Fantasy, Fiction, genre fiction, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, Science Fiction, Wizards of the Coast, Writing, writing advice, writing process
4 Comments
THINGS ARE GOING TO START HAPPENING TO ME NOW
Or are they? Okay, I’ll back up a little. For the past couple years I’ve been reading a lot of advice for indie/self-published authors on the subject of marketing, and giving my fair share, too. Though it’s never been easier … Continue reading
Posted in Arron, Arron of the Black Forest, Books, creative team, Dungeons & Dragons, E-Books, horror novels, intellectual property development, NaNoWriMo, Publishing Business, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, SF and Fantasy Authors, The Fathomless Abyss, transmedia, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, best sellers, Books, creative process, Dungeons & Dragons, e-books, editor, Fantasy, Fiction, genre fiction, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, Science Fiction, Wizards of the Coast, Writing, writing advice, writing process
1 Comment
MANUSCRIPT FORMAT
As I get ready for the start of a new term of my continuing education class Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction, and having just participated in a Writer’s Digest University Boot Camp and seminars at Emerald City Comicon here in … Continue reading
Posted in Publishing Business, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, Science Fiction Story, SF and Fantasy Authors, transmedia, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, Books, creative process, editor, Fantasy, Fiction, genre fiction, manuscript format, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, Science Fiction, Writing, writing advice, writing exercises, writing process
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THE JOYS OF TEACHING
There’s an old saying: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” This is crap. Though there are people in this world who would not consider me particularly old, there’s another old saying: “You’re only as old as you feel.” … Continue reading
Posted in Books, conventions, creative team, Dungeons & Dragons, intellectual property development, Publishing Business, Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels, Science Fiction Story, SF and Fantasy Authors, transmedia, Writing, Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy
Tagged author, authors, Books, creative process, editor, Fantasy, Fiction, genre fiction, Philip Athans, Publishing, Publishing Business, R.A. Salvatore, Science Fiction, Wizards of the Coast, Wondercon, worldbuilding, Writing, writing advice, writing exercises, writing process
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